London, 14.11.2014 – D!ngIt, the brand new video game broadcast and eSports platform, has partnered with Octoshape, an industry leader in cloud-based, over-the-top (OTT) stream acceleration and contribution technologies for broadcasters. Servicing the largest sporting, news and OTT IPTV services, Octoshape has experience with some of the largest media brands globally.

These global broadcasters use Octoshape’s Infinite HD player to increase video quality over the Internet. Infinite HD relies on Octoshape’s suite of advanced stream acceleration technologies to achieve higher quality experiences than traditional streaming systems. By combining the Octoshape Infinite HD technology with D!ngIt’s own easy-to-use broadcast app, individual game streamers are enabled to effortlessly broadcast their content in the highest quality to audiences globally, regardless of the speed of their broadband connection.

“We are very excited about our partnership with Octoshape,” says Rachel Parker, Marketing Manager at D!ngIt, “It enables us to honour our commitment to user quality and scale the service to massive audience sizes. It’s like putting our broadcasters video in the Internet fast lane, and allows us to grow our service without the historical traffic jams associated with large audiences. Their Infinite HD player also has a great track record with consumers, as they’ve had so much experience with huge events like the World Cup and the Royal Wedding.”

The Octoshape Infinite HD enhancement is installed in over 130 million media players and has been certified 100% safe and secure.

DingIt is a live streaming broadcast site for professional and aspiring gamers. Our patented keyboard simulation, Click Pro, shows actual button actions of the gamer in real time, giving the fan an unprecedented level of visibility into how the best gamers play. Our new broadcast app supports the highest resolution and bit rates of any live streaming site on the web, with minimal skips, sync errors or delays. DingIt provides an environment for viewers to become better gamers, and for gamers to earn real income while they are building a fan base.

The Destiny 2 beta doesn’t start until next week, but eager Guardians can prepare themselves by preloading the beta from today! Activision recently confirmed to Polygon that the beta preload will start today at 6 p.m. BST / 10 a.m. PDT for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The Destiny 2 beta will be available first for those who have pre-ordered the game on PS4, starting at 6 p.m. BST / 10 a.m. PDT on Tuesday 18th July 2017. Gamers who have pre-ordered on Xbox One will then be able to join the fray 24-hours later on Wednesday 19th July. Only those who have pre-ordered will be able to preload today as you’ll need your beta key – which some of you will already have.

Two days after the closed beta launches, on Friday 21st July, the beta will open up to all PS4 and Xbox One gamers regardless of pre-order status. The beta closes for everyone at 9 p.m. on Sunday 23rd July, so make sure you get in as many hours as possible.

The beta is set to feature the same content that Bungie presented at E3 2017: the campaign’s opening mission – known as “Homecoming”; a strike called The Inverted Spire; and two Crucible modes – Control and a new PVP mode called Countdown (which is a bit like Search and Destroy from Call of Duty). One thing which you won’t want to miss is a trip around Destiny 2’s new social space, The Farm. Guardians will be able to get into the new social space for just one hour starting at 10 a.m. on Sunday 23rd July, so make sure you’re ready and waiting.

PC Gamers are having to hold on a little longer, but they can expect to get their mouse and keyboard on the Destiny 2 beta in August 2017.

“In space, noone can hear you scream” – but they can in your gaming chair (unless it’s in space), so be careful you don’t wake the whole street!

Alien: Isolation, is hyped as the best horror game of a generation – possibly of all time – and boasts a massive 53 industry award nominations – which is a hugely impressive feat in and of itself. There was a huge amount of excitement surrounding the launch of this game. However, fans of the genre and of the Alien franchise, like myself, found our enthusiasm tinged with a fair amount of skepticism and trepidation. Not because of this particular game, of course, but because of the disappointment we’ve felt every time an Alien game has been released. For those of us who are old enough to remember, the disappointment started with the first game of the franchise: Alien, for the Atari 2600, released in 1982., and continued with new releases on all kinds of platforms, from consoles to arcade machines, right through to 2013 with Aliens: Colonial Marines. The disaster that is Colonial Marines received a huge amount of hype, being touted as a sci-fi/horror genre gaming breakthrough, much like Alien: Isolation. However, it failed spectacularly with fans of the genre, the movie franchise, and gamers in general across the world hating the game. So, understandably, many of us were wary of getting too excited about the latest game release, even though it promised to deliver in a way that none of the previous games had managed.

“Perfect Organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility… A survivor… unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.”

But – we were not disappointed! The game is awesome. Like every game that has ever been released, it isn’t flawless, but it really does deliver. Alien: Isolation is a real breakthrough in the horror game genre. It employs an array of brilliantly deployed techniques to create a solid story that appeals to Alien and horror fans, as well as those gamers who enjoy a damn good bug hunt. The game is filled with tension and suspense and follows an intelligent plot line. At a time when many gamers felt that horror gaming was dead in the water, with predictable and not remotely scary games being the norm, Alien: Isolation came bursting onto the scene and breathed new life into a stagnant genre.

Now, I’ve heard and seen a few random comments about the “old styling” and the “80’s feel” of the game, and questions and comments about having paper and cassette tapes on a futuristic space craft. Well, these comments come from people who don’t grasp the roots of the game and the Alien franchise. The mission of this game was to stay true to its origins – and it does so perfectly. You have to remember that yes, Alien, the original movie, was produced in the 70s and released in 1979 – so it was futuristic from a 70’s perspective – retro-futuristic. So, yes, the design team thought we’d still be using cassette tapes in the future – and that paper would still be widely available, and the on-board computers and monitors would still look like the good old Amstrad screens, with, with a giant cursor block, dark green back ground and green text – I mean, come on, the flat screens with dynamic text and imagery we are familiar with today simply wasn’t available then. Let’s face it, in 50 years, our descendents will be saying the same thing about the games, films, and media that we create today. For its time, Alien was amazing – and for many of us, still is.

But I digress slightly with my Alien fandom. The point is, if you listen to the opening cut scenes, and know the story of the first film, Alien: Isolation takes place 15 years after the Nostromo disappears – so 15 years after the first film. For this reason, the developers maintained the “old school look and feel” to maintain the storyline and to make it more authentic. So yes, you do see cassette tapes laying around – and magazines – and really old computer monitors – just as you did in the original movie. So don’t complain or look bemused – just go with it – it plays a massive part in the overall atmosphere of the game. The graphics are outstanding, and the dark and strobing light really adds to the tense atmosphere as you hide from the ever-present threat of the terrifying, intelligent alien.

“My mommy always said there were no monsters – no real ones – but there are.”

The story line of the game is much better if you already get the background – although the game alludes to this as you progress, to an extent. Now, 15 years before the game starts, there was Alien. Ellen Ripley, Ash, Dallas, Kane, Brett, Lambert, and Jones (the ship’s cat) are returning from a standard run in a commercial space tug – the Nostromo, when they are awakened from hypersleep early to check out a distress beacon on an unknown planet. They explore and find an alien ship and, to their horror, they bring back an alien being to the Nostromo, which quickly begins killing off members of the crew, until only Ripley and Jones survive. They use the escape pod and destroy the Nostromo. But the alien – exhibiting horrible intelligence, joins them in the escape pod. Ripley manages to harpoon it and jettison it out of the airlock before placing her and Jones into hypersleep. Unfortunately, they are in an uncharted area of space, and, despite Ripley’s hope that they’ll quickly be picked up by another vessel, her and the cat are essentially lost in space. Of course, we all know that the sequel, Aliens, occurs 57 years after the first movie, with Ripley and Jones surviving against all the odds, to do battle with the aliens all over again.

However, her daughter doesn’t know what happened to her mother, and this is where our particular story begins – some 15 years after the Nostromo vanished – and Ripley junior, now an adult, is desperately trying to discover what happened to her mother and the ship she was travelling on. With a crew, Ripley the younger travels to a space station where there is supposedly news relating to the flight recorder from the Nostromo, which could reveal clues about her mother’s disappearance. However, on approach, disaster strikes, and Ripley boards the space station alone, only to discover terror and horror, from human enemies, murderous androids, and the ever-present fear of the alien. She must discover what happened to her much-loved mother, work her way through the station, and escape. It’s not that simple, of course, with the Alien franchise, it never is.

You are under-powered and under-prepared. You have limiteed ammo and resources, and you must use them wisely. Stealth and distraction are key tactics – as is learning to use whatever you find in your surroundings – and knowing when to use them. Keep careful track of your inventory, and use your ingenuity to progress through this dark, scary, challenging game. Remember what Ellen Ripley famously said – “short, controlled bursts.” If you want to survive, repeat this mantra to yourself regularly, and try to channel the spirit of Ellen Ripley – her ingenuity, her bravery, her skill, and her fearlessness – you will need it all if you want to survive.

“We’d better get back, ’cause it’ll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night… mostly.”

This game is tense – and you’ll find yourself tensing up, sitting right on the edge of your seat, and jumping uncontrollably on a regular basis. The sights and sounds are thrilling and unnerving as you make your way through the game. Whatever you do, don’t play on mute – let yourself get right into the game – let your mind transport you to Sevastapool station and become one with Ripley junior. Dark and sinister, Alien: Isolation will keep you on tenterhooks all the way!

“How could they cut the power, man? They’re animals!”

One of the most fabulous aspects of Alien: Isolation is that the alien is dynamic. It reacts to your decisions, your movements, and your actions. This makes the game unpredictable and different at every turn. With the alien reacting to your tactics, you have to use all the skill you can muster to outwit it.

“Last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.”

Survivor mode is a somewhat controversial addition to the game. In and of itself, Survivor Mode is a great addition. In this mode, not only do you have to beat the ‘droids, humans, and aliens to escape – you have to do it against the clock. The problem for many gamers, which has occurred with countless other games, is that the game is only supplied with one map for Survivor Mode. The other map expansions are already developed, and are being offered as additional downloadable expansions at staggered intervals. Many gamers feel like they are being short-changed or milked for their cash because, if they enjoy Survivor Mode, unless they want to wait for the Game of the Year edition with the dlc maps bundled in, they have to pay to download extra content as each of the 5 extra maps are released. Having said that, there are a huge number of gameplay hours in Story Mode, which is tense, challenging, and thoroughly enjoyable – a real scare-fest – with enough content to please the most hardcore gamer.

“Come on, cat”

All in all, Alien: Isolation is a roaring success – it’s great to play and to watch. This first person horror game provides plenty of action, plenty of scares, and an authentic feel. The far-spaced save stations and tough scenarios provide challenges worthy of the awesomest pro-gamer! Alien fans are enthralled by the clever true-to-origin design of the landscape and the Geiger alien. But it doesn’t just end there – the clever designers have even ensured Ripley junior bears a resemblance to her beloved mother.

As if that’s not enough – you can purchase the Nostromo edition or the Ripley edition and play an extra storyline as Ripley or another member of the Nostromo crew, trying to escape the alien and the Nostromo.

Here’s our round-up of BlizzCon Finalists! Read on to find out more about each finalist, their current performance, their past performances, and their prospects as BlizzCon finalists!

11. jjakji

The first of our Korean players to qualify from Europe, mYinsanity’s jjakji has shown a pretty solid performance all year; getting to the Quarter Finals of the 2014’s first WCS EU season as well as more recently placing 2nd at DreamHack Moscow a little over a month ago. The beginning of the year proved more promising for him, finishing in the top 4 of 4 major tournaments before May. However, his placement at DreamHack being his only recent notable point of interest casts doubt on how far he’ll go through these finals.

10. soO

Another story of 2nd place leaves us with soO, the GSL 2nd place Champion of all 3 seasons this year. Twice losing to Zest and once to INnoVation, which not only means he still played incredibly well each season, but he’ll have something to prove going into these Finals.

Having never won a WCS championship, it would be a massive achievement to win a Global Finals title, and judging by how much he’s grown over the last year, you can’t put it far past him. Misfortune appears to be on his side once again however, as his first match is against the Terror Terran Taeja, who will look to be Taeja-clapping his way past this GSL hopeful, and catapulting himself into this year’s victory books.

9. MMA

Team Acer’s MMA is one of the longest-running, consistent players in the StarCraft II scene to date. With wins running all the way back to MLGs in 2011, and still winning regularly today, you have to admit – he’s damn good! One of the top picks for the Global Finals last year, he’s set himself up well once more, winning the 3rd season of WCS EU, 2 years running. He’s one of the few contenders who has multiple WCS titles under their belts, but when you pair that with Iron Squids, IEM’s, and GSL’s, don’t be surprised to see him go all the way.

Taking home a whopping $291,383 in total prize money, he’ll have his eyes set on extending that figure with the $100,000 being offered in just a week’s time. Since joining Team Acer in November 2012, he’s dragged himself out of a bit of a slump and has come back hitting hard in tournaments. Though only placing 9th in the global standings, he’s one to watch and his 1st game against StarDust is going to be one of the best explosions to set off this year’s BlizzCon.

8. StarDust

As I mentioned above, StarDust faces MMA next, and that is going to be one awesome match! It’s sad to see, however, that this match, with players of this caliber, is occurring in round 16 and not the Grand Finals. Having said that – it definitely proves that this year’s BlizzCon is full of surprises and if definitely one to watch!

In many ways, MMA and StarDust are polar opposites coming in to this; StarDust has very few championships to his name, despite his high placement in the rankings. Aside from a WCS EU championship, there hasn’t been much to write home about in terms of silverware. Earning less than half of MMA’s total prize money himself, this championship will mean even more to our Korean Protoss.

This doesn’t mean he’s a write-off though. Out of the 3 times these 2 players have met each other, StarDust has taken home the bacon twice, meaning in direct combat he should come off more favorably. But this is BlizzCon, and this is StarCraft II, and it is MMA. Anything can happen, and at the Anaheim Convention Centre this November, it probably will.

Our Pick: MMA

Okay, there may have been a little bias in this decision. But it’s MMA! Who can’t love MMA? That cheeky little smile. That Terran destruction. Happiness in Korean form. But to leave the gushing to one side for the moment, he’s shown consistent play, consistently throughout his career. But also being a realist, with TvT being his worst match up, he could potentially have to take down the likes of Taeja and Polt. So who knows who will come out on top? All we know is we’re excited to stand back and watch the fireworks.

What better way to kick off the new year than with the extravaganza that is PAX South!?! From January 23rd to January 25th, join thousands of gamers in the San Antonio Convention Center, San Antonio, Texas, for an awesome festival of gaming. There’s loads to do for gamers of every persuasion – from the latest esports and futuristic gaming tech, to retro console classics and even tabletop games. PAX South is offering bucket-loads of fun and some fabulous prizes, too – so this event is definitely on the list of 2015 must-sees!

Let’s take a look at a few of the attractions waiting for you.

The Exhibit Hall

The Exhibit Hall is over 100,000 square feet of gaming heaven! It boasts shopping opportunities galore along with stands and displays from gaming companies of all sizes, from the big hitters to small indie developers. You can try out the latest games, consoles, and gaming tech or relive your youth with a wide selection of retro classics. Get a sneak peak at as-yet unreleased games and meet with the developers. Ask them questions, tell them what you think of their offerings, or just say “hi”. A little bit like E3, except that it’s for gaming fans – not just industry professionals, the PAX South Exhibit Hall boasts a unique atmosphere and is one of the most popular attractions at the event.

Image courtesy of playbuzz.com

Panels

Now, panels aren’t for everyone – but check the schedule here because there’s loads of different panels on offer covering an array of awesome stuff – from webseries to developer talks and Q&A sessions. Come and meet some popular developers and join in the discussion about the future of gaming or discuss the future of MMORPGs.

Console Freeplay

Indulge your passion for console gaming with the unique atmosphere of PAX in the console freeplay hall. You can try out a huge library of games, from brand new releases to ancient but brilliantly fabulous retro classics. Play on your choice of console, from next gen models to golden oldies. Opt to play alone, join a LAN game, go up against your neighbours, or make friends with them and launch a co-op campaign.

Image courtesy of sporcle

PC Gaming Area

For those not totally in love with all things console, join in the fun in the PC gaming area, where you have access to a plethora of games on the latest gaming PCs with state of the art tech and peripherals.

Handheld Gaming Lounge

For those who want to relax and play, the handheld gaming lounge is a great choice. You can relax on comfy sofas or well-stuffed bean bags with the handheld console of your choice, from the original Gameboy to the latest DS.

Tabletop Gaming

When you want to take a break from the digital world, join in the classic fun of the tabletop gaming area. Games of all types, from D&D type RPGs to boardgame classics, the tabletop gaming area is oodles of fun and really engaging. Experience the thrill of tabletop gaming and destroy your opponents while looking them in the eye!

Competitions

There’s a whole bunch of competitions to enjoy, too. You can join in or simply watch and cheer on your favourite competitors. There’s so many going on, we simply cannot list them! But there are comps in tabletop gaming, console gaming, pc gaming, and cosplay. Not to mention the highly anticipated OMEGATHON.

What is the OMEGATHON you ask? Well, many feel it’s the highlight of the whole event. It sees 20 randomly-selected individuals to compete in a series of gaming rounds. The games are all random, and most are “far out”. There’s no quick StarCraft match up here. Oh no! The games can be anything from obscure console titles from the 80s to giant motion-sensitive claw machines or never-released games. While the round games are announced before the event, the final game is a secret until match time! The winner receives a trip to Japan, while the runner up receives a ticket to PAX South for 2016.

So, the question is why wouldn’t you want to go? There’s something for literally everyone who has ever played a game!